Take Me Down to the Underground
by a Fox and a Fawn
Summary: After her return from the Labyrinth, Sarah is placed in a mental hospital, longing to go back. Jareth enters her dreams and she begins finding 'gifts' after she awakes that eventually lead her to the Underground. But how does her friend Lisa fit in? Indefinite Hiatus.
1. And So It Begins

His eyes were startling, she noticed, as he focused on her from a few feet away

Take Me Down to the Underground, Chapter One

(Disclaimer & Author's Notes at bottom of page.)

_His eyes were startling, she noticed, as he focused on her from a few feet away. One pupil was noticeably larger than the other, a detail she hadn't noticed the other times she had stared into them. They were filled with wanting and lust. Something else was hidden in them, as well. An emotion that, at the time, she was too stubborn to see. Love._

The room was an off-white color, due only to the fact that this building was rarely cleaned in detail. It was populated by few others, most of whom sat around a rickety table playing cards and smoking. A couple of the girls sat around the old television that had sat in the same spot since the early sixties. On a rust orange couch sat a raven haired young woman, no older than eighteen, with fair skin and piercing green eyes. Those eyes were focused on absolutely nothing, although they stared at a flower in the corner of the room.

She stared at the flower for hours each day as the events played in her mind over and over again. Each time a scene repeated, she would feel the emotions again. But they changed every time. At first she had felt scared, then angered, but eventually she had begun to feel a longing for that person she had feuded with not too long ago. Or had she feuded with him? All of the people she had told her story to said it was all make-believe. It was the product of a child in turmoil over her mother's abandonment.

"Sarah Williams!"

Her eyes jumped off of the flower and onto the lady behind the window. Nurse Wilson was scanning the room until finally her eyes landed on Sarah. "Please come get your medication," she said softly. Nurse Wilson was not a very vocal woman, and Sarah believed it was due in big part to the fact that she was scared to even be here. Sarah herself was scared to be here sometimes.

Sarah took her place back on the couch and focused her attention on the flower once again. It wouldn't be long before she was asleep in the same spot where she always slept, dreaming of the same things she always dreamt of. As she drifted into a drug induced slumber, she began to think about how she had ended up here in the first place.

_She was finally home after the thirteen most frightening hours of her life. Her baby brother was in his crib sleeping peacefully and she was in her room, sitting at her vanity. Her father and stepmother had just arrived home. For the first time in years she was grateful to hear their voices. She looked into her mirror and was surprised to see a large furry creature standing behind her, saying his goodbyes. It was Ludo! She turned around, only to see nothing standing there. But her disappointment soon vanished as she looked back into her mirror to see Sir Didymous and Hoggle, giving her permission to call on them as needed. _

"_I need you, Hoggle," she had said, and the next time she turned around, her room was filled with magical creatures. All of her friends she had made during her trip through the Labyrinth were surrounding her as she jumped onto her bed to hug each and every one of them. She screamed with delight and spoke to all of them, but her happiness was soon interrupted._

"_Sarah, who in the world are you talking to?" Karen, her stepmother had said._

_Sarah, in her euphoric stupor, began to spill every detail of what she had just been through. She had wished Toby away and the goblins had actually taken him to their castle! Jareth, the Goblin King, forced her to run his Labyrinth and along the way she had made amazing friends who helped her win Toby back. And they were all in her room right now, visiting her! She looked around her, hoping to introduce all of her new (her only) friends. But they were all gone._

"_Where did they go?" she shouted, her voice becoming panicked. "They were all just here!! They came through the mirror, I think." She looked at Karen, whose eyes were wide and mouth was open._

_Karen backed out of her stepdaughter's room and ran down the hall, screaming Robert's name. Within a few minutes, Robert and Karen had returned to find Sarah scouring her room for her friends._

"_Robert, something is wrong."_

And that is how she had ended up here, in a building with no mirrors and no one that understood her. Not that anyone outside of these walls understood her, either. Only one person- could he even be called a person? - understood her, and she longed for him in a way she would have never thought possible three years ago. Why didn't she just take the life he was offering her? Her dreams were in the palm of his hand: A man that worshipped her and loved her in every way possible. Friends that she could always count on. A mythical realm that she had always fantasized about being a part of.

And she had given it all up for a life of constant supervision, medication, and dullness.

She knew there was a way to get back to the Underground. When Toby had been taken away, it was all because she had said the 'right words'. But now, Sarah could not remember what those words were, and so everyday she sat on this couch re-living every detail of her time in that world.

Lisa was the only person she talked to during those rare times when she felt personable, and it was always about the Labyrinth and how she wished to go back. Lisa listened with genuine interest and lapped up every detail. Sarah didn't know why Lisa was her friend, and she honestly didn't care. She was just happy to have one.

Binx sez… Hi everyone! Thank you for reading this, and please bear with me if it wasn't great. It's been a few years since I've really written anything besides poetry, and aside from that this story was written on a whim and I really have no idea where I'm going with it, save for a few ideas. Reviews filled with criticisms and suggestions for where this story could/should go would be greatly appreciated!! Without feedback, I cannot get better and more so will lack the motivation to continue at all. Once again, thank you so much for reading and (hopefully) reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Labyrinth, as that all belongs to the late, great Jim Henson. The Nurse and Lisa are the only things that are mine so far.


	2. Worth a Thousand Words

Take Me Down to the Underground, Chapter Two

Take Me Down to the Underground, Chapter Two

The Goblin King was ill.

After Sarah had defeated his Labyrinth, and more importantly him, Jareth had tried to maintain control of his kingdom and keep his mind off of the girl. But occasional glances into her life through a crystal soon turned to days spent watching every second of her life, staring as lifeless as a zombie would into the glass sphere. During these times he would not eat nor sleep and soon became ill from that alone. And although ill from those things, he could still maintain his kingdom, since being a Fae meant food and sleep deprivation were only minor problems.

Within the last few months, though, his health deteriorated at a much faster pace than the doctors in the Underground had ever witnessed. He was now bed-ridden, but still did not sleep. When the nurses tried to feed him, he would not take the food. His body was frail and even the lightest touch could bruise his porcelain skin. Whatever was ailing him now had nothing to do with and illness. It had to do with an obsession.

_Sarah's eyes opened to an unfamiliar place. She was not in the lounge of the ward anymore. She was on the shore of a lake, surrounded by sweeping hills and green, lush grass. The dress she now wore was white and wispy, fluttering in the soft breeze. A sudden sense of peace washed over her. Places like this did not exist on earth. 'It must be a dream,' she realized._

_Her eyes trailed along the edges of the lake, scanning the perimeter. They stopped as they landed on a pair of black leather boots with tight black leggings tucked into them. Only one person in her memory wore anything as peculiar as this. Her eyes made their way up the body of the figure, taking notice of the white billowy poets' shirt it wore, and stopping on a pair of mismatched eyes. It was Jareth!_

_He hadn't noticed her yet. His eyes were staring straight into the water, seemingly penetrating it with his gaze. No movement came from his body. It looked limp, like the breeze she felt could easily knock him over. And just as that thought came to Sarah's mind, Jareth collapsed._

"Jareth!"

Sarah's eyes opened and she began gasping for air after crying out his name. She needed to be back in that dream. She needed to be there for him, and to take care of him. But all of that seemed so impossible now that she had woken up. How would she ever get back to him? Falling asleep did not mean instantly going back to the place she had just been.

She stood up, a bit wobbly, and made her way to her actual room. It was a private single—one of the few luxuries her stepmother had provided her with. The walls were filled with things the other patients had thought odd. An M.C. Escher poster hung across from her bed. Her bookcase was filled with fairytales and books on goblins, magic, faeries, and myths. Karen had wanted to take them away, saying it wouldn't help her recovery, but the doctors had allowed it. Sir Lancelot lay simply in the center of her pillows.

It was a bare room for the most part, but Sarah was happy with it. She sat on her bed and held Lancelot to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut. The stuffed animal was the only comfort she really had in this place. As she opened her eyes, she noticed something was amiss. Her nightstand, which held only a lamp and a clock, now had something new sitting on it.

It was a picture.

It wasn't an ordinary picture, though. It wasn't one she had ever seen before, nor was it of a place she had ever been… At least not in reality. It was a picture of the lake from her dream and it was just as vivid.

She turned over the picture and found a single word scrawled on the back: Help.

Jareth's eyes had closed a few hours ago. The nurse that sat at his bedside had feared the worst, but his pulse remained, however weak it was. The stout goblin nurse watched as the Goblin King slept, looking for the heaving of his chest every so often to be safe. A few minutes had gone by since her last glance when she noticed his breathing had turned into short gasps, and then had stopped altogether.

"King? Sir? Wake up, please!" she pleaded with him as she rushed over to his bed and began to shake his lifeless body.

She sighed as his eyes opened wide and he went back to being the living, breathing corpse that she had grown used to.

"Lisa!" Sarah whispered as she shook her friends sleeping body.

Lisa turned over in her bed, still very groggy, and looked at the brunette who had woke her up. "Whaaat?" she grumbled.

Sarah held the picture up. "Look at this!"

"Yeah, it's a pretty picture. We'll go there if we ever get out of this place."

"I've already been there. I was dreaming earlier, and I was standing at the edge of this lake. Jareth was on the other side, and he collapsed. When I woke up, I just happened to go to my room and this was sitting on my nightstand!" Sarah exclaimed.

Her friend sat up, now interested in her story. "Jareth… The Goblin King?" she asked. Sarah's head bobbed up and down. "Okay, not to sound like everyone else, but assuming he's actually real, what would this dream mean and why would you have it and wake up to find this picture?"

"The back of it says 'help'. Maybe he's not well. What if something serious is wrong with him and I'm the only one that can save him?" She sat in thought for a second. "Wait. I've fantasized about him for far too long. He was, and probably still is, a vengeful character. That's all this is." She looked as though she had an epiphany as she grabbed the picture from Lisa's hand and ripped it to several little pieces.

Lisa sighed with a worried look on her face as her friend exited the room.

Binx sez… Ahh, finally another chapter is done. I must admit I wasn't very motivated due to the lack of reviews. But I would like to thank the two people that did review the first chapter! It really means a lot to me. And I hope that more people start reviewing soon!! If you read this and did not review, please consider doing so.

Disclaimer: We all know who owns the movie and certain character. Any character you notice that aren't owned by the Jim Henson Company are owned by me, I suppose.


	3. Set Into Motion

Take Me Down to the Underground, Chapter Three

Take Me Down to the Underground, Chapter Three

"She's becoming suspicious, Jareth. Her memories of the Labyrinth do not serve you well, no matter how fond she has become of them… And you. Your manipulations done previously have hurt your mission now. You must regain your strength and re-visit her dreams. Prove yourself trustworthy to her, or this kingdom will surely crumble."

The blonde that stood at the edge of the Goblin King's bed could only be described as ethereal. She was tall, slender, and pale. Her body emanated a faint glow, and that is why Jareth had chosen her. The glow this young Fae girl possessed proved that she was of pure heart, mind, and soul. She was trustworthy and kind, which was exactly what he needed for the plan he had come up with. He could hear her, barely, but took every word she said and memorized it as best as he could. This was necessary information even if it seemed menial.

His eyes had never opened in the time she had been standing there. His chest barely moved. There were few signs of life coming from him. A tear escaped from her eye and ran down her face. She quickly wiped it away for fear that his eyes might possibly open at that second. He would dismiss her from this mission if she showed any sign of weakness or emotion. Her mind began to replay the first meeting she had with the Goblin King.

_She sat under a tree in a forest on the outskirts of the Labyrinth. The scenery, lush green and shimmering, awed her and she took the chance to come here whenever she got it. There would be no one to bother her today. A summons had been given for every Fae girl in the Underground to make their way to the castle. The King needed to find what was being referred to as a 'compensated slave.' The idea did not appeal to her._

_Her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed three bubbles floating through the sky. She wanted to reach out and pop them, but when she tried they hardened and turned to crystal. Frightened, she lifted herself from the ground and began to look around. A shadow figure poked out from behind the tree, and slowly made its way to the front. It was the King._

_She began to run, fearful that she would be punished for not showing up after having been summoned. It did no good. Within a few feet she tripped and fell on her face in front of the King._

"_Sir, I am so sorry. I.. I have nothing to offer. I would be of no help to—"_

"_Hush," he said, looking her over. "I need someone trustworthy and loyal to take care of certain.. tasks. You see, the Underground is in grave danger. Soon I will not have the strength to run my kingdom, and that is where you will come in."_

"_Me?" she asked._

"_Yes, you." he spat out. "I will explain, but first I need your word. I must know that you plan to do whatever I say, without question, and that you will not speak of this to anyone. If you do, there will be consequences."_

_She didn't want to say yes. She was scared and confused and had too many questions to go along with whatever he said, but as she looked at him she could do nothing else but say, "You have my word, Sir."_

"_Good." he said, and began to explain. "I'm sure you have heard of Sarah—"_

"_The girl who defeated the Labyrinth?!"_

"_Yes! That is right." He tried to calm himself from the rush of anger and sadness he felt. "I waste many nights thinking of her, and many more days watching her. This does not bode well for the kingdom, but I do not have the strength to control it. She is my weakness, as is my love for her. I want her here, in the Underground, ruling by my side. But I cannot just snatch her from the mortal world. She must say the right words."_

"_How am I involved in any of this?"_

"_Those around her are forcing her to believe that none of the memories she has of us are real, or else I believe the words would have been said long ago. Thus why my plan involves sending you to the Aboveground. You will encourage her to believe in our world. By the time her beliefs are strong, I will be weak. It is at that time we will begin proving to her that we are real."_

Everything was going as planned, she concluded. He had begun entering her dreams, which in itself would not prove the Underground's existence. But with the magic Jareth had given her, Lisa was able to make little bits and pieces of the dream a reality. And with the picture in Sarah's hands (or in pieces scattered across the floor), the true plan was set into motion.

**Binx sez…** Sorry for the long period without updates. First there was a beach trip with friends, and then a major case of writer's block. The writer's block is still a bit of a problem. I don't feel that this chapter is up to par with how I wanted it to be, but I couldn't put off updating even if it means diminishing the already diminished quality of my story. **But thank you for all of your reviews**!! I appreciate them so much and it provides me with the motivation to keep writing!! I hope everyone continues to review and give criticism, opinions, ideas… Anything.

**Disclaimer:** I own Lisa. Nothing else. I do wish I owned Jareth, and I also wish I owned a restaurant called The Oubliette, which **OrdinaryStory** and I came up with last night. It's booths and tables would create a Labyrinth, all of the staff would be dressed as Goblins, David Bowie would make occasional visits, and memorabilia would line the walls. I'm done rambling now. But wouldn't it be amazing?


	4. A Rose on a Grave

Take Me Down to the Underground, Chapter Four

_He awoke to see Sarah's head on his chest. Tears were flowing from her eyes and her body shook with light sobs. But he knew he wasn't awake. They were both asleep, and back in their dreams. Things were starting right where they had left off._

"_Sarah..." he whispered, stroking her long brown hair._

"_Jareth." she whispered, slowly lifting her head. Her gaze met his and more tears began to fall. "What happened? What are these dreams? I'm so confused, Jareth."_

_Her eyes were wide and scared, much like a child's. Jareth felt a twinge of pain knowing he had caused this fear and confusion in her. It was out of his control, though. His health had deteriorated so badly that he couldn't even keep his strength in dreams. He needed something to make him stronger, and he wasn't sure of exactly what that was yet. His eyes closed. He couldn't answer her questions even though he wanted to._

"_Is this a trick? I don't want to believe that it is. You must be a kind man, right? Answer me!" she yelled. Inwardly, she knew he couldn't answer. But her frustration had gotten the best of her. She began sobbing again._

"_Sarah, I __**am**__ sorry."_

_Those were the only words he could muster, and they were barely audible._

_He wanted so badly to tell her that she needed to come back to the Labyrinth. She needed to save her friends. She needed to save him. But it could not happen that way, he had decided. Guilt and obligation were not the emotions he wanted her to feel if she wished herself away. He wanted her to feel longing, desire, happiness… And most of all, love._

_He needed to romance her through her dreams. Showing her that this wasn't some evil plot was key. But with his strength and health lacking, he knew it would be difficult._

_He laid in rest for a few minutes, savoring the pressure of Sarah's weight on his chest whilst building up a menial amount of strength, energy, and magic. With his arm lifted into the air, he flicked his wrist. A single red rose appeared in his hand. Simple, elegant, and classy was the rose, and in his opinion those were the three adjectives that best described his Sarah._

_Sarah forced herself off of Jareth's body to look at what he held in his hand. She looked down at his face. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. He grimaced and Sarah gasped at the sight of him in pain. She felt helpless seeing him like this and being able to do nothing._

_She needed to get out of here. She needed to wake up._

* * *

And she had. Her eyes had opened suddenly and she could feel the panic coursing through her. She felt bad for leaving Jareth in the state he was in, but she was too weak to handle all of this. Seeing the Goblin King, who in her mind had been above all illnesses and weaknesses, so frail and pained had shocked and saddened her.

She looked above her and to her sides, noticing the tile ceilings and old television. She had fallen asleep on the couch after her episode earlier. It wasn't clear in her mind whether she had gone back to sleep thinking she wouldn't have to deal with the situation or hoping that maybe Jareth would enter her dreams again. No matter what her plan had been, he had been in her dream, and the dreams weren't getting any clearer. Sarah was still confused and not quite sure of what was going on. Was Jareth really that ill? If he was, what did that mean for her friends in the Labyrinth? Or was all of this- the Labyrinth, her friends, her dreams- just figments of her imagination?

Turning onto her side, she heard the light thump of something hitting the floor. She looked down in front of her.

A single red rose lie between the couch and the coffee table in front of it.

Within a split-second, she had fallen off of the couch and on top of the rose.

Jareth chuckled lightly as he watched the girl through a crystal sitting beside his bed. The sight of her made him happy now. When he watched her only a year ago, it had made him so depressed that it led him to his current state. But after learning that she cared, that she was actually worried about him, seeing her wasn't so hard.

"Nurse, go fetch me some food!" Amusement flashed across his face as the goblin jumped from her seat, shocked that he had spoken—and that he had wanted to eat!—and ran out of the room.

For the first time in months, the Goblin King smiled. He had hope.

* * *

**Binx sez…** This one is shorter than the rest. But better that it is short and (hopefully) good than be long and dreadfully horrible. **Thank you for all of your reviews!!** Although I do hope I start receiving more. I'm a bit of an attention-whore, yes.

Plus, I have Jareth at my back and he's getting a bit perturbed that more people aren't reviewing a story that features him. I told him there are thousands of stories featuring him and not everyone can comment on mine, but he just won't have it! So, do it for Jareth, eh?

And I still don't own anything, in reality anyway. In my mind, that's a different story.


	5. A Time for Family

Take Me Down to the Underground, Chapter Five

Sarah gave herself one last glance in the mirror and pulled down on the edges of her top. She kept her outfit simple, without any whimsical touches that would cause Karen to roll her eyes and make comments under her breath. A professional white button-up top, black pants and an old pair of Chuck Taylor's fit the occasion just right. She pulled her hair up into a messy pony tail and walked out into the lounge, where her family waited.

"Sarah!" Toby exclaimed. He ran over to his older sister and latched onto her. Sarah picked him up and held him close to her. If it weren't for Karen clearing her throat, a sure sign that she wanted Toby away from her, she could have clung onto the four year old for days. She choked back the tears as she thought about the fact that Toby didn't remember his sister being anywhere else but this hospital. These visits would be his first memories of her.

It was at moments like these that Sarah wished Toby could remember the Labyrinth.

She let Toby down and nudged him towards his mother. Robert stood up and gave his daughter a hug while exchanging pleasantries. He never talked much during these visits. Sarah assumed it was because he had no idea what to say. He rarely did, whether she was in a mental ward or at home. Karen's eyes searched the room, looking for any distraction to keep from giving Sarah a hug.

Ignoring Karen's blatant rudeness, Sarah took a seat on the couch that sat across from the rest of her family. They sat in silence for what felt like hours, but it was only a few seconds before Karen began to speak.

"Have you made any progress, Sarah?" she asked in a sharp tone.

"I guess that's more for the therapist to decide, but I think I am," she lied.

Her father chimed in, "You know, we'd love to have you home, Sarah. The tutor here says you should be graduating on time, which means college is just around the corner. Karen and I just want to make sure your little," he paused, thinking of how to word his sentence, "_delusions _are gone before we send you into an unknown environment."

Sarah wanted to stand up and scream. She wanted to yell at them and make them understand that it wasn't delusions she has been having that night. They were real creatures and real friends. They existed, and the dreams she had been having were proof of that! Sarah knew better, though. Making a scene or not, admitting that she still thought those 'delusions' were real would not help her get out of this place any quicker.

"Dad, my delusions have been gone for a while now. You and Karen simply need to talk to my therapist to understand that." It was true. It had been well over a year since she had even mentioned the Labyrinth or anything from it to Dr. Leibowitz. All that Robert and Karen had to do was have a brief meeting with him and sign her release papers. They had known that for months, though, and had never attempted to speak with him. "It would be nice if you would make a meeting with him. I would love to spend a little bit of time at home before having to move away for college."

"We will consider it," Karen intervened. "Robert, dear, I have to use the restroom." Karen stood up and left down the hallways towards the restrooms. Robert was quick to follow, knowing that Karen hated walking in this building alone. Toby and Sarah were left alone, something that his stepmother rarely allowed.

Sarah squirmed in her seat, unsure of what to say to the young boy. Toby was not old enough to understand how awkward she felt, and stared at her.

"It's very rude to stare," Sarah told him. She chuckled in her head, remembering the doorknocker who she had just quoted in a much nicer tone.

"I know. But I'm trying to see if she's right. I don't think she is."

"Trying to see if who is right?"

"Mommy. She says you are crazy, but you don't look crazy," he replied. Sarah laughed. "She says you see things that aren't there, like me. But she doesn't know about me."

Sarah jolted up and moved next to him. "What kinds of things do you see?"

"They are like little ugly people. Some of them say they know you. And then there is this one that is really, really pretty. Like you, Sarah, but with different colored hair. They told me to give you this. I told them you couldn't have mirrors and that I wasn't allowed to give this to you, but they promised me I wouldn't get caught," he told her as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a tiny, round and golden mirror. It looked antique and was beautiful. It glistened like it was surrounded by specks of glitter, and Sarah knew it was from the Underground.

"Toby, honey, it's time to leave!" Karen yelled as she made her way back to the lounge. Sarah shoved the mirror into her pocket unnoticed, and Toby jumped up and ran to his mother. "Bye, Sarah. We'll see you next week. You will be happy to know we just scheduled an appointment with your doctor." Robert waved his goodbyes and her family scurried out the door.

* * *

Lisa watched these goings-on from a table in the back corner of the room. She felt a twinge of jealousy. Sarah had everything. A man—no, he was more than just a man—was dying because of his love for this girl, an entire kingdom adored her, and she had a family that, even if not perfect, was more than what Lisa herself had.

But she had a job to do for the King. Her jealousy couldn't interfere with that.

* * *

**Binx sez…** Thank you so much for your reviews! I know it keeps taking me longer and longer to get these chapters up and I'm sorrysorrysorry. Forgive me? While you wait on me, though, I recommend reading the story Persona by OrdinaryStory. I quite enjoy it!!

AND JARETH SAYS HE WANTS MORE REVIEWS. Or else he'll dip me headfirst into the.. well.. you know what.

**CrypticCalico…** Jareth says that subconsciously, you were reviewing for him. He will accept no other answer for it than that. He's stubborn that way.

**Notwritten…** Thank you for your lovely comments. They are always so cheerful.

**Samuraistar…** Your enthusiasm really does inspire me to write more! So thank you veryvery much.

**Flame Wightstar…** Thank you very much. I will indeed keep writing, and I hope you keep reviewing.

**OrdinaryStory…** Hehe, I promoted your story!! Because it is truly wonderful. I will try to update more often, but you'll probably have to push me to do so every once in a while. And might I say Sarah is farrrr from perfect.. She turned down our Goblin King, for goodness sake.


	6. Comforting Touch

_**Author's Note**__: Yes, I know, it has been far too long. But the pressures of college were weighing down upon me this year and very heavily. I took my last final of the semester today, though, so I have all summer to devote to my Labyrinth obsession (which includes recently acquiring 2 of the 3 Laby comic and the children's storybook)! _**I hope my readers will stick with me even after this long hiatus, and I also hope they will not hesitate to hit that review button and tell me what I am doing wrong. =] Critiques, suggestions, opinions… anything? **And on another note, I'm now doing little x's as page breaks because FF didn't seem to like the ones I had.

And of course, the disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth or its characters, but if I did I'd be the happiest person alive.

Take Me Down to the Underground, Chapter Six

The Goblin King had eaten his first meal in what felt like—and very well could have been—years. His body felt lively, as if he could jump up from his bed, take his nurse in his arms, and waltz with her around the room. That is exactly what he felt like doing, but his legs and his ego would not allow such a foolish display. But his Sarah was worried about him and his Sarah had received the mirror he had sent. The plan was moving along so quickly, he could already feel the warmth of her essence in the Underground.

.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

Sarah held the cold, metal mirror in her hand. She passed it from one to another with such fluidity, she reminded herself of her nemesis, her obsession, her Jareth. Toby was a part of this entire plot that had been surrounding her lately and she wasn't sure how that made her feel. Part of her was overjoyed that he could interact with the Goblins, both because they were (in most cases) wonderful and kind creatures and because he could provide a lot of help with, well, whatever was going on. Another part of her, though, was fearful of Toby getting caught up in this mess. Sarah herself had no idea what was going on, and if she and Toby were in harms way.

The door was locked. Although this was not necessarily allowed, Sarah was on good terms with the nurses and they trusted her not to do anything "crazy." What she was about to do, though, was dive headfirst into the craziness that had brought her to this place. Once she had opened the pocket-sized mirror, her voice softly spoke, "Hoggle, I need you."

She waited. And waited. And waited a bit more. She had started to wonder if everyone was right and she really was crazy. Finally, the outline of her tiny friend began to appear and that outline soon began to fill in.

"Nice of you to remember this place," he huffed. "Can't say as I blame you for forgettin' it, though."

She sighed, tears stinging her eyes. "I'm so sorry Hoggle. But they told me I was crazy and locked me up in this place, and they wouldn't let me have any mirrors and… I missed you so much."

She broke down into a barrage of sobs and a flood of tears. Whether this was from her joy in seeing him or her sadness in having not seen him in year, neither was sure. Even Hoggle began to feel a lump form in his throat, but he quickly forced it to disappear. He couldn't appear anything less than strong in front of his friend.

"Now don't go cryin' on me. But, uh, Sarah… If you can't have mirrors, how're you talkin' to me through one?" he asked.

A laugh escaped her. "You would never believe it. Toby gave it to me and said some goblins gave it to him! I wouldn't have believed it either if it weren't for…"

"What is it, missy?"

"Well, really, that is why I need you. There have been some less than normal things going on around here. I mean, I had started to believe that everything that happened was just a fantasy until I started having these dreams."

The waterworks began again. Her confusion was prevalent on her worried face, and Hoggle could no longer bear it. He grasped the outsides of the tiny mirror and dragged himself into her Aboveground world. Hopping down onto her bed beside her, he wrapped his arms around her waist locking her into a hug. Tears continued to stream down Sarah's face as her confusion transformed into joy once again. She wrapped her arms around Hoggle and clutched onto him. Even with Lisa and Toby on her side Aboveground, she still sometimes felt like her friends from her journey were her only ones.

Hoggle loosened himself from her grip to sit down beside her. His hand caressed her back in a comforting and friendly way, hoping to get her calmed down. "Now what about these dreams you has been havin'?" he asked.

She explained the dreams she had been having, involving the ill Jareth and his spell as well as the items that had been manifested out of them. "I know something isn't right. Is Jareth really ill or… Just, I wish I knew what was going on."

Sighing a vocal and audible sigh, Hoggle began explaining, "Jareth **is** sick. I guess it started happening after you left, but it's gotten bad lately, Sarah. I'm not high on his list so I don't know much, but I know the faeries… They ain't breedin' anymore. The last time I took someone in the gate, they turned back as soon as they went in. Not 'cause they is scared, but 'cause they couldn't travel over all that rubble. Not that they'd made it far anyway…"

"But what about Jareth?"

A large part of her felt awful, for she didn't seem to feel as much concern for the labyrinth and it's creatures, who were some of her closest friends, as she did for the Goblin King. She could not explain it but within the last three years she had formed what she felt was a bond with him.

"I can't tell ya that, missy, as I don't quite know myself."

.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

Lisa sat in her own room, well aware of Hoggle's visit. It didn't much concern her, though, as it wasn't her part of the plan. This was all Jareth's doing. Without her. She was jealous of the brazen beauty that had captured the Goblin King's heart, that much was obvious, but could she really risk the kingdom she had grown up in and that her family still resided in over a silly crush?

She couldn't, she decided. She also could not risk its demise due to her King's refusal to be the selfish man she very well knew he could be. Maybe she would have to take some of this into her own hands.


End file.
